Blumenthal Tours Sub Base; Optimistic About Its Long-Term Operation

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal said Tuesday that there are no plans to close or study closing the Navy's submarine base on the Groton waterfront.

Blumenthal, elected in November, toured the base Tuesday morning in connection with his new post on the Senate Armed Services Committee. The base was targeted for closing by the Pentagon's Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission in 2005.

The base was saved in large party by intensive lobbying by local, state and federal officials.

The state also has committed tens of millions of dollars to help the Navy upgrade the base.

"I have been assured by people who know in the Department of Defense, and by ranking officials in the military that there are no current plans and no plans in the immediate future for another BRAC," Blumenthal said.

"But we must also be vigilant," he said. Blumenthal said he has spoken with Gov. Dannel Malloy on the issue and that the two will continue to work on the matter.

Blumenthal's tour comes seven weeks after the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced it planned to lay off 1,100 people in its Groton and New London locations - about 25 percent of its employees - over the next 18 to 24 months.

The base, along with Pfizer and Electric Boat, have economic impact throughout the region and state. Figures issued by the base's Public Affairs Office Tuesday said there are approximately 5,500 active duty military connected to the base, along with 12,000 dependent family members, 1,000 civilian employees and 1,000 contractors working on base.

There also are up to 650 reservists at any one time, plus 12,000 retirees in the region.

State estimates from 2010 said the base directly and indirectly contributes 15,000 jobs and $3 billion to the state's economy.

Blumenthal said the ongoing upgrades to the base will benefit Groton with jobs and national security interests with a modern base.

He also had good news for Electric Boat, saying said the Obama Administration is firmly behind plans double the production of Virginia-class submarines from one to two per year.

"Congress just has to pass the budget," he said.

He said vessels of the Silent Service currently operating off the coast of Libya are proving the value and versatility of Electric Boat products. He said, for example, that they may play a role in reducing the need to put troops on the ground.

"They serve as a platform for Tomahawk missiles," Blumenthal said. "But (submarines) also are playing a greater role in intelligence gathering. They are capable of operating very close to the shore, as opposed to the deep water service they did in the Cold War."